Filipino-American Anthony Volpe grew up a fan of the New York Yankees. Now, he is one of their starting players.
One of the most challenging positions to fulfill in any baseball team is the shortstop position. Slotted in between second and third base, shortstops are expected to cover the most ground in the infield of the diamond, and they are usually involved in most defensive plays.
Filling the demanding positions for the most globally recognized MLB team in the world is Filipino-American baseball player Anthony Volpe.
Anthony Volpe was born and raised in the United States but is of Filipino descent on his mother’s side. And at only 22 years old, he is already a starting player for the New York Yankees.
Here are some things to know about the rising MLB star.
He grew up as a fan of the Yankees
Anthony Volpe was a fan of the Yankees long before he debuted for the New York team, having spent his early years growing up in Manhattan and watching the team’s games.
Later on, he and his family moved to New Jersey where he started playing for his school’s baseball team, where he would go on to impress scouts with his impressive batting average, as well as his solid home run and RBI record.
His dream team definitely took notice. In the 2019 MLB Draft, Anthony was selected in the first round, 30th overall, by the New York Yankees. But before he could play in the big leagues, he first had to prove his worth among other worthy candidates, and he made his professional debut in the Minor Leagues with the Pulaski Yankees.
He has a history of winning
As one of the biggest sports teams not just in the United States but in the world, the New York Yankees would not have drafted Anthony Volpe if he did not show some level of skill above the rest.
Volpe was already representing Team USA before he even reached his teen years, competing in the U-12 Baseball World Cup, where the team won the championship. A few years later, he again represented the country in the U-15 edition and finished with a bronze medal.
While this already showed a lot of promise, Volpe still needed to prove himself professionally — and he did, becoming the first player in the Minor Leagues to record 20 home runs and 50 steals since 1996.
He’s the Yankees’ rising star
In 2023, the New York Yankees called Anthony Volpe up from the Minors and gave him the starting shortstop position for this year’s MLB Opening Day. With this, he became the youngest Yankees player to start a season opener since the team’s legend, Derek Jeter.
As a rookie, he hit the ground running. Early in the season, he was already seeing major breakthroughs for the team, even becoming the youngest Yankees player to hit a grand slam in their home stadium.
Although he’s seen both ups and downs as a rookie, he now seems to be gaining more confidence in his role for the team, becoming one of the team’s most reliable hitters and best defenders, with a recent .522 batting average and a .975 fielding percentage (as of writing).
At only 22 years old, there is still a lot of room to grow and a lot of records to achieve — and he gets to do it with one of the best sports teams in the world.
Banner image from Yankees on Instagram.
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